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Job 21:7

⁷Why do the wicked live, reach old age, and grow mighty in power?

Job's accusers kept insisting that he must have committed some horrible secret sin or all his calamities would not have happened. They believed those kinds of things only happen as God's judgment on the wicked. It sounds good to those who are prosperous and at rest, but Job challenged the validity of that belief.

Certainly God is just. That is why it seems so reasonable to assume his accusers were right. Most people would tend to agree with them. There are times when God does afflict the sinner to get them to turn to Him, but Job is saying that is not always the case. He challenged them to ask the traveler and listen to the stories from their towns (Job 21:29-30). The wicked often flourish. In this life it can appear outwardly that the wicked are blessed beyond measure.

Job is honest in his observations. Prosperity or calamities often have nothing to do with one's righteousness or sin. Consider Jesus' crucifixion. It was as misunderstood in that day as Job's calamity was. God is just, but not all justice is seen in this life. Job was struggling with understanding something that he had no way of discovering until the test was over and God revealed it. Sometimes we will never know, and yet, we must trust God to right all wrongs and repay in eternity. In the meantime, we put our hope in God and passionately pursue Him (Job 19:25-27).

Prayer: LORD, whatever You should allow in my life, grant me a steadfast spirit to endure in such a way as to glorify You. Bring me closer to You whether through prosperity or affliction.